


Stabbing the Blues Away

by alittlegreenrosetta



Series: Jazz Age Joker [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Parents Getting What They Deserve, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Old timey slang, Revenge, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-02 13:02:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5249189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlegreenrosetta/pseuds/alittlegreenrosetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In 1927 Gotham Jack "the Joker" Napier is the biggest bootlegger in town and he's goofy for a daffy dame named Harley. She wants him to go home with her to get a little revenge on the parents who abused her in terrible ways, he's more than happy to help her. Starts about a week after Hotsy Totsy Baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jack “The Joker” Napier was standing in front of the Iceberg Lounge for the second time in less than a week. The last time he stood in this spot he was thinking about how much he didn’t want to have to go into the speakeasy but this time he was actually looking forward to it. It wasn’t his purpose here that excited him; due to an unfortunate incident involving a mystery man in black paying off a no good goon he had to make nice with some of his bigger clients to smooth over a slight delay in operations. What he was excited about was getting a chance to show off the little doll on his arm. Only a few days ago she’d been on the payroll here at the Iceberg. She’d noticeably changed in that short time. She’d traded cheap stage costumes that showed as much of her body as possible for an elegant black beaded gown. She’d swapped plastic beads and bangles for jewelry made of diamonds and deep red garnets, her birthstone apparently but he thought she really liked them because they reminded her of blood and he knew how much she liked spilling blood. The most important change to him was in her eyes. When he met her they had been full of pain and sadness. Now they were bright and happy; until she looked at him, then they were just flat out lovestruck. He might have a bit of that problem himself.

He’d be happy to show her off under any circumstances but showing her off to Cobblepot was going to be particularly rewarding. The Joker wasn’t the type of guy to look down on a woman for selling the only thing she really owned in the world but he was still a man. Knowing he’d taken this wounded little dove who had no use for any man and turned her into a happy little doll who couldn’t stop touching him, well it made him feel pretty pleased with himself. Hell, he should have made this visit to Cobblepot a day or two ago but they hadn’t been able to make it out of the apartment until today, though Harley still protested the entire time they dressed and tried every trick she could think of to pull him back into their bed. Ok she might have been successful once or twice but they were here at last.

Just as on his last visit the Joker was hit with the sound of jazz music as soon as the door opened and like the last time Oswald Cobblepot came to greet him politely though this time he was joined by the redhead named Pamela who was apparently anxious to check in on her best friend Harley. Before anyone could say anything Pamela threw herself at Harley and tried to hug her.

“Gee, Red, it’s good to see you too!” Harley squeaked in response to the aggressive embrace the redhead was laying on her. Harley hugged back with her left arm while keeping her right firmly locked in place around the Joker’s arm. When Pamela realized her hug was not being met with the same enthusiasm she pulled back and looked at Harley with confusion. Harley immediately snuggled up even closer to Jack and the confusion on Pamela’s face turned to hurt.

“Is everything ok, Harleen?” She asked while giving the Joker a little glare, apparently blaming him for any coldness in her friend’s greeting.

“Everything’s Jake, Red! I ain’t never been happier. You doin’ alright?” Harley asked her friend but stared up at the Joker with a silly grin instead of looking at Pamela.

“It certainly is good to see you looking so well Harleen, and you too Mr. Joker!” Cobblepot interrupted the women’s conversation in order to turn the focus onto himself. He didn’t like being ignored in his own joint.

“Thank you Mr. Cobblepot. It was good of you to make time to see me tonight.” The Joker decided to pull out all the stops on being polite to the tubby little man in front of him. He could already see the interest old Ozzie was taking in Harley’s beauty. Oswald Cobblepot worked hard at trying to play the Casanova of Gotham City. His physical appearance kept the lothario routine from working on anyone who wasn’t on his payroll but he had managed to accumulate quite the harem of honeys here at the Iceberg. It must gall him to know that Harley couldn’t even pretend to like his attentions and was now so clearly happy with Jack Napier.

“Not at all, happy to have you here at my little club. Let’s sit down and take some refreshment.”

Cobblepot led them to the same table the Joker had met with him at the last time he visited the Iceberg Lounge. It was set for four this time to allow the ladies to join them. Cobblepot pulled a chair out for Pamela and then tried to hurry over to pull one out for Harley since the Joker was making no move to do so and had instead pulled his own chair out to sit down. He knew of course there was no point in pulling out a chair for Harley but he’d let Cobblepot find that out on his own. As soon as he sat down Harley seated herself across his lap with one arm around his neck and her head resting on his chest. Unless he asked her not to, her first instinct lately was to be touching him as much as possible and he usually didn’t discourage her. He’d gotten used to only having one arm free to do most things as she was usually cuddled up on his lap if they weren’t in bed together. Oswald looked at them with surprise on his face but he quickly recovered his manners and sat himself across from the Joker and Harley.

“Well you two certainly seem to be getting on like a house on fire. I’m glad to see it, no really I am! I always worried that things wouldn’t go well for Harleen and now seeing her here, so happily situated and I even had a hand in making the match.” Oswald Cobblepot’s tone was friendly but his gaze was hungry and focused on Harley. Perhaps he thought that the Joker had cured her of her sexual issues and that now she was fair game. Time to set him straight.

“Yes, by trying to sell her to me if I recall correctly.” He felt Harley’s head turn to look at Cobblepot, he couldn’t see the look on her face but judging by the discomfort Oswald was showing it wasn’t a nice one.

“A misunderstanding, Mr. Joker. Nothing more.” He quickly tried to change the subject. “But that’s all in the past, what brings you both here tonight? Just a social visit or was there some business you wished to discuss?”

“It is, unfortunately, business.”

The Joker began to go on, he was used to Harley being with him even when he was talking business but Cobblepot interrupted him in order to suggest that the ladies should go off somewhere to catch up while the men talked about more serious issues. Before she left his lap Harley gave him a passionate kiss while he slid his hand up her silk stocking until it disappeared under her skirt to give her thigh a firm squeeze. She gave a happy little squeak before finally pulling herself away from him. Her redheaded friend took her hand and tried to grab her attention as well but Harley kept her big blue eyes trained on him while Pamela pulled her away to another table. When Jack looked back up at Cobblepot, the man had that hungry, covetous look on his face again. He’d have to watch this guy around Harley. Not that he trusted the redhead with her either.

“Now then, Mr. Joker, what was it that you wanted to discuss?” Oswald Cobblepot asked while lighting a cigar and offering one to the Joker. He waved it away and lit a cigarette instead. He tried to focus on the man across from him but Harley and Pamela had sat down at a table that he could see behind Cobblepot’s head and it was hard not to watch Harley instead. She was talking animatedly to her friend, she looked so happy. Pamela didn’t seem to see things Harley’s way and looked worried. When she’d speak to Harley she looked like she was scolding her. He needed to stop watching the girls and get his head back on business.

“We’ve had a small setback in our available supplies. I’m sorry to say we will only be able to provide half the agreed upon amount this week but by next week supplies will be back up and there will be no further problems.”

“Hmm, that will be quite an inconvenience. If we can’t provide liquor, our valued customers will go somewhere else and before you know it, I’m out of business.” Cobblepot gave him a shrewd look. Despite whatever else he might be the man was known to be a sharp businessman.

“I’m not flattering you when I say there is nowhere for your customers to go that offers them anything like the set up you’ve got here.” The most difficult part of the transition from mob hitman to mob boss for Jack had been that his business problems could no longer be solved by just killing anyone who got in his way. Dead people don’t buy liquor. Instead the Joker kept an imaginary list in his head of everyone he would kill as soon as they were no longer useful to him alive. Cobblepot’s desire to negotiate a better deal for himself was reason enough to add his name to the list. If he ever acted on his obvious desires and touched Harley, the Joker would kill him no matter how much hooch he bought.

“Still, it is quite disappointing, here at the beginning of our business partnership and already I’m disappointed.” This guy was gonna shoot up that list fast.

“Naturally I don’t want to disappoint such an important person. I would of course be happy to offer you a discount on this week’s supply.” The Joker gave Cobblepot a smile that was meant to make him uneasy. Apparently when it came to business negotiations, money made the little man less susceptible to intimidation.

“I want it at cost. And twenty five percent off next week as well, for my trouble.” Oswald told him with a straightforward and no nonsense tone.

“Fine.” Jack growled his agreement. He turned his attention back to Pamela and Harley as Cobblepot called the waiters over and ordered some champagne brought to the table. Some good-time Charlie had sat down at their table and was trying to cozy up to the redhead.

“You know you aren’t the only one he hit.” Cobblepot said with amusement. What was that? Not the only one who hit? The Joker quickly turned his attention back to the man across from him.

“The man in black. Don’t look so surprised, Mr. Joker, I have my fingers in a lot of pies.” A lecherous laugh bubbled out of the man. “He’s hit a few other bootleggers and even a couple of speaks were burned down. No one was has been hurt during any of his attacks. He’s a very conscientious firebug.”

“Do you have any idea who he is?” Jack looked at Cobblepot sharply, like he was trying to see into his mind. So far he had always presented himself as a pleasure seeker first and foremost but now it was clear that the fat man in front of him was a potentially valuable source of information.

“Oh no! No, I’d make sure something was done about him if I did or tell someone like you who I know would make quick work of the man whoever he might be. I will keep my eyes open however.”

“That’s pretty smart of you. A guy like that probably isn’t too fond of places like this if his intention is to clean up Gotham. Of course it could be he just likes fire but I doubt it.”

The Joker ignored the champagne that had been placed in front of him and looked over Cobblepot’s head again at Harley. She had decided to cuddle up to the man who had been ignoring her in favor of Pamela earlier. In fact she was sliding onto his lap even now. There was a primal part of his brain that went crackers seeing his dame on some other fella’s lap but he’d spent enough time with Harley now to trust her. If she was coming on to this guy there was a reason for it and knowing Harley it was a violent one. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear and the guy hopped up like something bit him. He started pulling Harley down the hall to where the rooms for more intimate activities were. Harley called something out to Pamela as she left but the music was too loud for the Joker to know what it was. Pamela was making her way back over to their table, presumably with a message from Harley.

“Ah, Pamela, are you ladies ready to rejoin us? Perhaps we should have a little something to eat now that our business is concluded?” Cobblepot asked Pamela.

“No, Ozzie, actually Harleen asked if it was ok if her and Mr. Napier used the VIP room. She said it was where they first met and special. I didn’t think you’d mind since it was for Mr. Napier so I told her to go on.” Interestingly she didn’t mention the fella Harley had gone to the room with.

“Oh, certainly, certainly! You have a good time Mr. Joker. You seem to have brought out the romantic in Harleen.” Cobblepot stood and bowed at the Joker as Pamela led him away to the VIP room.

“You sure brought out something in Harleen.” The redhead said in an accusatory tone. “And I don’t think it’s very good for her.”

“Well you may not like it but I assure you that anything I brought out in Harley wasn’t buried very deep and she’s all the happier for it. You sound like you disapprove of me, Pammy, but have you ever seen your friend so happy? So satisfied and content?” He could tell she didn’t like him using a pet name on her or pointing out how much he pleased her friend. That only encouraged him to do both more often.

“Yeah, she’s happy but just because something makes you happy doesn’t mean it’s good for you.” Her tone was ice cold now.

“I assure you that you are worried for nothing. I only want Harley to be happy, in fact I insist on it because the things that make Harley happy just happen to be the things I enjoy myself. She and I are more alike than you’d probably care to know.” He hadn’t meant for it to sound sinister but it came out that way all the same.

“I’m not sure I believe that. I do know I don’t trust you and she shouldn’t either.” They stopped just down the hall from the room they were headed to so Harley didn’t overhear their conversation.

“But Harley does trust me, Pammy, and she loves me too. You might want to be careful how hard you push that agenda of yours. Oh and you might find that these days, Harley will push back.” He walked away from Pamela before she could get in any more jabs.


	2. Chapter 2

Throughout the evening Rocco had followed them wherever they went as a large and silent display of muscle ready for anything. Now the Joker left him outside the door with strict instructions not to let anyone into the room no matter what they heard. He and Harley were still getting to know each other in a lot of ways and he didn’t really know what sort of game she had arranged for them to play tonight. He felt very certain it was going to be violent and involve sex, neither activity was very quiet when Harley had her way. He chose his own role to play without knowing what she wanted, he could always improvise once they were playing together. He threw the door open and assumed an air of outrage.

“Harley, what in the hell is going on in here!” He shouted and slammed the door. The sight that met his eyes was fantastic. Harley had stripped down to her chemise, having carefully laid out her beaded dress on a chaise in one corner of the room. She would eventually have closets full of finery but this was the first of her evening dresses that had been completed and she clearly treasured it. So there she was in a black silk chemise, still covered in diamond and garnet jewelry. Her stockings had disappeared but the Joker soon saw where the black pieces of silk were. She had stripped the guy she was with and somehow talked him into letting her tie his wrists to the brass bed frame with her stockings. The guy was laying there with an erection and his head popped up with a look of fear plastered across it. For Harley’s part she put her hand up to her mouth and tried to pretend to be surprised by his entrance but her eyes were sparkling with glee.

“Oh Daddy! What are you doing here?” She exclaimed, her voice innocent and childish.

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? This isn’t how your mother and I raised you!” He yelled and stormed across the room to pull Harley off the bed. “And you, you lousy bastard! Corrupting a kid like this! You’re going to get what you deserve, pal!”

“You got it all wrong, mister. I don’t know what’s going on here but this girl ain’t no innocent! I’ve fucked her before, she’s a fucking nut!” Before he could say anything else the Joker punched him in the nose.

“Ow, fuck! Untie me, what kind of way is this to fight someone, you cheat!” The man was twisting and jerking, trying to get loose from his silk bindings. Harley had done too good of a job for that to be possible, in fact it looked as though he was only tightening the knots as he struggled. Harley was standing next to the bed giggling now and the Joker was fighting off laughter himself.

“Let you go? You want a fair fight? The only problem is I don’t believe fighting fair, especially not with a guy who laid a hand on my girl.” The Joker started punching the man again, over and over until he was bleeding in several places and seemed to be losing consciousness. Jack was glad he hadn’t taken off his gloves, this louse wasn’t worth breaking his skin on.

While their guest was a little out of it the Joker turned to Harley who was still giggling wildly. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her up against the wall.

“Now as for you, my naughty little girl, what should your punishment be?” She didn’t answer but stood on tiptoe and kissed him passionately, sliding her tongue into his mouth and then sucking and biting his lower lip. He slid his hands down from her arms to her hips and pulled her legs up around his waist, lifting her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was pinned between his body and the wall.

“I think I deserve a good hard fucking now Daddy, just to teach me a lesson.” Harley said when she pulled away from their kiss.

“You think that’s a fitting punishment? And what lesson would you be learning, exactly?” He asked her with a laugh.

“I’d learn that you like your Harley to be a bad, bad girl!” She replied while grinding her bare pussy against him.

“Truer words were never spoken and you certainly are very bad. Vamping that bum and then bringing him back here. I shouldn’t even let you play with him. I should just fuck you and then make you stand with your nose in the corner while I have all the fun killing him.” He was teasing her and she knew it but her eyes still went wide with fear that he might follow through on his threat.

“I just brought him back here so we could have a little fun with him. Besides he’s a real jerk, you should have seen how he treated me when I was still a pro. Some fellas wanted to go with me cause they thought they could make me stop laughing. This galoot didn’t care if I laughed so long as he got a chance to make me scream. He hurt me, Daddy.” She pouted at him.

“Well it sounds like you should get a chance to hurt him right back, baby. What would you like to do to him? Got any ideas?” If she didn’t he certainly could think of a few things.

“I sure don’t want to do to him what he did to me.” She spit out angrily. “I liked watching you punch his nasty face in. Can you show me how to do that?”

“You want me to show you how to throw a punch? I guess I can but it’s not really the most effective fighting strategy for a tiny thing like you.” He looked at her skeptically, he couldn’t imagine she was going to do much damage with her small hands and delicate frame.

“I know, I just like it when you teach me things.” Harley had a knack for knowing just what to say to get his motor going. He pushed in close and kissed her again. Before things went much further they heard a groaning sound coming from the bed. They both turned to look at the man tied to it.

“How about I tell you a joke instead, doll?” Jack was more interested in spending time with Harley than getting any more licks in on the bum who claimed to like a fair fight. A guy who’d hurt a woman being paid to take it wasn’t much of a challenge when you’d spent years dropping guys for Big Jim Colosimo in Chicago. At least most of those guys were able to lay a punch on someone their own size.

“Sure, Mr. J. I like your jokes an awful lot.” He pulled away from her so she could stand on her own two feet.

“What’s the quickest way to a man’s heart?” Her face took on the perplexed look it always did when he told her a joke. He figured she put it on for him, she knew better than to ruin his punchline.

“I don’t know Mr. J. What is it?”

“Through his chest with a long, sharp knife.” He pulled out his Italian switchblade and pushed the button that popped out the blade with a click. Harley started giggling at his joke but when he held the knife out for her to take she stopped and got an excited look on her face.

“For me? Can I do it by myself this time?” She looked like he’d just handed her a box from Cartier rather than a deadly piece of steel.

“Sure you can. If you have trouble I’ll help but you need to practice on your own if you want to get good at it.” She planted a quick kiss on his lips and then pushed past him to get to her victim. The guy tied to the bed no longer looked dazed and when he saw Harley coming at him with a knife he looked terrified.

“Come on Harleen, you asked me to come back here. You wanted it again. I didn’t do nothing to you that I didn’t have the right to do.” The Joker laughed. This guy was definitely not talking his way out of his situation with that attitude.

“Oh yeah? I’m gonna show you just how much I wanted it. You maybe had the right to fuck me but I never gave you permission to hurt me.” Harley stood looking down at the guy with her knife raised. Jack worried she might have lost her nerve but then he saw that she just trying to make sure she found the spot he’d taught her to push the knife into.

“You may not have given me permission but your boss sure did. What other use is there for a loony whore like you anyway?” Harley let out a really crazy sounding laugh at that. It was the one that always raised the hair on the back of his neck and left his cock tingling with pleasure.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but a goon who can’t get it up without knocking a dame around will never hurt me again!” She lunged forward and pushed the knife right where he’d taught her to earlier in the week. His heart swelled with pride, she was the deadliest doll he’d ever known and they were just getting started together.

She turned to him and looked at him with a hopeful expression. “Did I do it right, Mr. J?”

“You did it exactly right, Harley, I couldn’t have done it better myself.” She squeaked and hugged him tightly.

As touching as this little scene was getting, he’d been ready to fuck her since he came into the room and it was time for the corpse to vacate the bed. He pulled Harley away from him and gave her a quick kiss before turning to the body. The knots in the silk stockings were too tight to be easily untied, he’d need his knife back. In an effort to avoid getting blood on himself, he covered the knife wound with a pillow from the bed before removing the blade from the guy’s chest.

“Ozzie ain’t gonna like that. He’s not real nice to the girls if anything gets messed up in the rooms they use.” Harley informed him.

“Ozzie can send me a cleaning bill if he wants. That is if he’s still walking around and breathing after tonight. You heard what that guy said, should we take care of Oswald Cobblepot too?” He didn’t mind killing the guy, not really. It was inconvenient but Harley was worth the bother.

“Isn’t he worth a lot of money to you?” She looked worried.

“Sure, but it’s just money. It’s no trick to find money in this world. If you want him gone, then he’s gone.” He watched her face, he wanted her to answer true and not just say what she thought he’d want to hear. It was clear she was putting some thought into her response.

“I want to wait and think about it. I’m not sure what I want yet. If Ozzie goes some other guy just like him is just going to pop up to take his place, at least with Ozzie I know what’s what and Red really has him wrapped around her finger, I wouldn’t want to spoil things for her.” She looked sincere.

“Ok, doll, if you don’t want to kill him we won’t. You ever change your mind, you just tell me. Now let’s get rid of this guy and have some fun.” He started cutting the corpse free of his silk bindings.

“Oh! My stockings! They were so beautiful!” Harley exclaimed, her face looked truly sad at the loss.

“You have a dozen pair just like these at home. I’ll buy you a dozen more if you want them.” He consoled her.

“But I’ll have to go out with bare legs, that’s pretty…” Her face was confused as she tried to think of an appropriate term to describe the scandal of going out without stockings on. He pushed the body of the man she had just killed off the bed where it landed on the floor with a loud thump that pulled her out of her thoughts and she burst out laughing.

“So, who needs stockings?” She asked with another laugh. He loved seeing her happy. He’d help her kill the entire city of Gotham if he could see her smiling and laughing like this afterwards.

He took his gloves off and pushed them into one of his jacket pockets before pulling it off and throwing it over to the chaise she had laid her dress out so carefully on. The glee in her eyes was replaced with heat as she came over and started unbuttoning his shirt while he undid his cufflinks and tie. Once the buttons were undone her hands started stroking his chest and stomach, abandoning undressing him for the immediate tactile pleasure of touching him. He pulled his suspenders from his shoulders and took his shirt off. She immediately sighed and pressed her soft cheek against his chest. She sometimes acted like listening to his heart beat was the biggest thrill she could get. Their romance had been a whirlwind to say the least and he was still trying to get used to being treasured by someone. He’d evoked a lot of strong feelings in people throughout his life but they were usually negative. Having this beautiful kid look at him like he hung the moon, well it gave him a real kick. He realized he’d stopped getting undressed and was just standing there with her wrapped up tight in his arms while contemplating their love affair. He laughed at how ridiculous he was being and pushed her gently away from him so he could take off his shoes. While he was finishing his undressing she pulled off her chemise and tossed it aside while climbing onto the bed.

Their relationship was still new, they were still learning about each other but most of their education so far had been physical. Once Harley had warmed up to the idea of enjoying sex her temperature had kept rising until she was on fire for it most of the time. His once hesitant lover was now playful and enthusiastic. Jack had hardly finished undressing before she leapt onto him and pushed him down on the bed. He was laughing at her enthusiasm when Harley stretched her body out on top of his and started kissing him. Her skin felt like silk poured over his and he lost himself in running his hand over every inch of it he could reach while she sucked his tongue into her mouth and caressed it with her own. Despite the initial high of having just killed someone they both chose to slow down and revel in the feel of their bodies pressed so closely together. Neither of them attempted to escalate things because they both knew without saying it that this was special. They were here, in the room that they first met, lying on the bed where he first touched her. That specialness needed some acknowledgement.

He ran his hands up the back of her thighs to the curve of her ass. That place where her muscled dancer’s legs met the rounded softer curve above was a delight he couldn’t resist stroking. It was a natural progression for his long fingers to slide from that spot to her inner thighs. She spread her legs wider to allow him more access to stroke and grip the sensitive skin on the inside of her legs. He positioned his rapidly hardening cock between her legs, spreading her outer lips to rest it against her wet folds. He resisted the urge to start thrusting and moved his hands back to caressing her legs. She pushed her thighs closer together, trapping his cock between her outer lips and moaned against his tongue in her mouth. She was sucking and teasing it like she wished it was his dick. He moved his hands up her body, exploring every curve on the way up. When he got to her breasts she stopped kissing him and lifted up a little so that he could move his hand onto them. Her lips were red and swollen from his passionate kisses. She had that dazed look she always got after kissing him for an extended period of time, like she was drunk on him. In order to support the change in position she tightened her thighs a little more, squeezing his cock and making him groan. He wanted to be inside her. The Joker gripped her thighs and lifted her hips but rather than position himself to thrust into her like this he sat up and pushed into her, she squealed with delight. Now he could pull one of her sweet pink nipples into his mouth, flicking and sucking and making her cry out in pleasure. She arched her back a bit to give him better access to her hardened peaks and he took advantage of it, giving each nipple a thorough licking and sucking before switching over to the other one.

Before long Harley was grinding and thrusting as much as she could without pulling her nipple out of his mouth. She was too much shorter than him to be able to move much and keep his mouth level with her chest so he reluctantly moved on from her breasts to her neck. Now he could really move in and out of her and as she returned her lips to his, he did so as fast and hard as he could. She moved with him; squeaking and moaning and crying out with every thrust. When her noises became high pitched enough to approach deafening he knew she was close. He pulled her thighs further apart and thrust rapidly until she was screaming and clutching at him desperately. She stopped moving and just clung to him as he continued moving within her until the pressure building in him reached its peak and he exploded into her with a growl. She giggled at his roaring and hugged him tighter to her. They stayed like this for longer than was probably necessary but neither was in a hurry to separate. Cobblepot had said he brought out the romantic in Harleen but really he’d brought out the killer in this sweet baby doll, it was Harley that had brought the man out of the monster. As usual Harley’s mind reflected his own.

“I’m so glad you found me, Mr. J. I don’t ever want to be lost again.” She kissed him tenderly. It was too much intensity of feeling for him.

“Don’t worry, kid. If you’re ever lost I’ll just follow the trail of bums with knives in their chests until I find you again.” They laughed together at that and while it lightened the mood it didn’t make the moment any less sweet for either of them.


	3. Chapter 3

The Joker had finally managed to get all of his business matters in order and no one had seen the man in black that was attacking the city’s liquor supply in a couple of weeks. It seemed the perfect time to make good on his promise of a trip to visit Harley’s parents. Generally he liked that his automobile was a standout but since they were driving out to a small town to most likely commit a couple of murders he decided to “borrow” a black Model A Ford that was parked on the street. Fairview was just over two hours away from Gotham City. Not long after they left the city limits they found themselves surrounded by apple orchards and farms. If they were any other young couple they’d have stopped and had a picnic but that wasn’t the sort of thing they did for fun. Instead they had loaded up a stolen car with various tools of torment and were happily on their way to wreak vengeance on the two monsters Harley had run away from so many years ago.

In the short time Jack had known Harley she spent most of her time with him either touching him or chattering away at him, usually both. Her chatter was usually strange and nonsensical but charming. Sometimes she’d ask him silly questions or make him tell her jokes. This morning at breakfast she’d asked him if he thought caterpillars knew they were going to be butterflies when they made a cocoon; she was a daffy dame but she made him laugh. During their drive this afternoon she just stared out the window quietly and kept her hands to herself for a change. She was the one who had asked to go on this trip but he thought now she might be having doubts.

“We don’t have to do this, Harley. Not if you don’t want to. We can turn around, head back to the city and find some bum there to have our fun with.” She turned to look at him and gave him a sweet smile though her eyes weren’t in on it.

“You’re so good to me but I think I gotta do this. It’s a little scary now but I think once we get there I’ll be ok.”

“Sure you will, kid. You’ll be great.” And he was fairly certain she would be. She was a real thrill to watch when she turned her hand to violence. He just wished she looked a little more excited about it now.

Fairview turned out to be a picturesque small town. They drove down a busy main street full of shops, passed the city park complete with a white bandstand for summer concerts and then proceeded down rows of well cared for houses with neatly trimmed lawns. It was the sort of place you thought only good people could live in and nothing bad could ever happen to anyone here. Clearly appearances could be deceiving. At the very least it was obvious it was a place with very little privacy, everywhere they passed people turned their heads to stare at the unfamiliar vehicle. Harley gave him directions and soon they were parked outside of a house that looked like all the others in town, the Joker wondered how anyone could tell any of them apart. Before they got out of the car he pulled Harley to him and gave her a kiss.

“No one here can hurt you ever again. No one anywhere can hurt you as long as I’m around.” He promised her.

“I know, Mr. J. Thank you for coming with me.”

“No need to thank me, I wouldn’t miss this for anything. C’mon, dollface, let’s go do some damage.”

They entered through a gate in the white picket fence and knocked on the door. After a couple of minutes a woman answered their knock. There was no doubt this was Harley’s mother, Jack now knew exactly what Harley would look like when she was forty and she’d be a knockout. The only difference in the two women was that Harley’s face ranged from happy and loving when she looked at him to crazed exhilaration when she was hurting someone. It was never hard or bitter, but the minute the woman in the doorway saw who was on the other side that’s exactly what her face became.

“I guess I should have known you’d turn back up eventually. It was too much to hope that I’d be done with all the trouble you caused me.” This was the loving greeting Harley got from her mother and Jack couldn’t help but get excited about how much more he wanted to kill this woman now.

“Hi, Ma. Can we come in?” Harley asked, the Joker could hear strained emotion in her voice.

“I suppose it’s better than standing out there and putting on a show for the neighbors.” She stepped aside to let them in.

“I see you found some other thug to shove you around, he someone else’s husband too?” Harley’s mother asked. Jack started to reach into his jacket for a knife but Harley but a hand on his arm and gave him a look that was clearly intended to stop him. He sighed but obeyed her unspoken request.

“He’s not like that, Ma. He’s good to me. I wanted you to meet him. Jack Napier this is my mother, Frances Quinzel.” Harley introduced them, he was surprised at how she was treating her mother. He thought they were here to kill the bitch but he was beginning to question that now.

“Sure he is, we’ll see how long that lasts. Mr. Napier, you’ll pardon me for saying it but you look like a wrong guy and I’m pretty good at recognizing them, I’ve certainly had my share. I guess Harleen takes after me like that. Now was that what you came here for, Harleen? Just coming by to let me know that you are still alive and making bad choices?” Mrs. Quinzel lit a cigarette and sat down on her sofa. She didn’t make the suggestion that they should sit as well, she clearly wanted them gone.

“No, we’re looking for Jerry actually, is he here?” Harley’s voice sounded anxious, she was clearly uncomfortable speaking about her stepfather to her mother.

“Oh, really? I just assumed that he took off to be with you. He left a few months after you did. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.” Her eyes were cold and accusing as she looked at Harley. Was it possible this woman actually thought Harley had seduced her stepfather? He’d stayed quiet long enough.

“Mrs. Quinzel, are you somehow under the impression that your daughter purposefully sought out the attentions of your husband? Surely you have a little more motherly feeling in you than that?” Her gaze shifted up to his eyes but when he smiled a cruel knowing smile at her she quickly shifted her eyes back to Harley.

“Oh I’m sure she told you a real nice version of what went on around here but what did she expect to happen? Right from the time she could walk she was always hugging on people and climbing up in their laps. She couldn’t get enough touching, that one. Well you reap what you sow.” As she spoke Harley turned and hid her face against Jack’s side, he put his arm around her, wanting to protect her from the cruelty of a mother who had never protected her from anything.

“Oh, Ma! You and I are going to have such a time together!” The Joker said with a laugh. This time he really did pull a knife out though he didn’t pop out the blade, he’d wait until he was closer to do that.

“I think you two had better go. Harleen’s never brought me anything but trouble, looks like nothing has changed.” She sounded a nervous, clearly reading the murderous intent in his face.

He pulled away from Harley but she clung to his jacket. He looked over at her and saw tears in her eyes and a defeated look on her face. Had she really come here hoping this monster would have treated her any differently than this? Of course she had, mothers were special. You never could quite give up on them. Even if you hated your mother there would always be a part that loved her too. She wasn’t going to help him with what needed to be done to this woman but would she allow him to do anything at all? He wouldn’t kill her mother right in front of her without her permission. He searched her face for the answer.

“Don’t kill her, Mr. J.” She finally whispered. He stared into her eyes, looking for his vicious partner in crime but she was hiding at the moment, he couldn’t see her there at all.

“She’s gotta pay Harley. I can’t just leave it like this.” Finally she nodded at him as tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t want her mother dead, ok, he wouldn’t kill her then. He looked back at Mrs. Quinzel and saw that she was slowly edging her way over to her phone, probably looking to call for help. In two long strides he was blocking her path and had his hand around her throat.

“So, Ma, Harley and I came to get some vengeance today for what you and her no good stepfather put her through. You sure you don’t have any idea where he is? Because if you don’t then I guess you might have to pay his share of that bill?” He flicked open the knife and held it near her face. A woman who still looked this beautiful at her age worked hard at it and would take a threat to it pretty seriously.

“Not really. I don’t know for sure but I heard he was upstate somewhere. I don’t know anything else about it. As for how I treated Harleen, I never laid a hand on her. Anything else she got, she probably deserved. You don’t know what’s it’s like to raise a girl like her, always seeking attention and affection. It’s no surprise she ended up knocked up at fourteen. I’m just glad none of the neighbors found out…” Before she could continue her tirade of insults against his Harley, he backhanded her across the face. That shut her up for a second but she gave him a cruel smile.

“Yeah, she’s got her mother’s taste in men.” She spat out.

“Well this has been interesting, Mrs. Quinzel but I think we’re just about done here. Harley doesn’t want me to kill you so I won’t though I think she’s making a mistake.” Harley’s mother looked visibly relieved at this statement. “The thing is I can’t just leave you like this. You see, Frances, you’re a very beautiful woman. And the problem with this crazy world we live in is that people think anything that is beautiful is good, that it has value. I can’t let you go walking around letting people see that beautiful face and making them think a good woman is in their presence, nothing could be further from the truth.”

She started to cry out but he moved his large hand from around her throat to cover her mouth. “Shhh, we wouldn’t want the neighbors to hear, would we?”

Her eyes grew wide with terror as he brought the knife back up to her face.

“You know what saying I’ve never really liked? 'Don't cut your nose off to spite your face.' I don’t know, something about it annoys me. I guess I just don’t like being told what I can and can’t take a knife to. Still it’s sound advice, you should never cut your own nose off to spite your face but, Frances? Your face fills me with spite and I think in this case we should go ahead and break the rule.” He started at the bottom of her perfect nose and sliced straight up the length. It was fast and neat, his knife was always very sharp. As soon as his knife came away from her face Mrs. Quinzel’s eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted. Wonderful, now he wouldn’t have to deal with listening to her scream, that had to hurt. Instead he could hear Harley’s maniacal giggling behind him. It was shriller and more out of control than usual. When he turned to look at her he could see that she was hysterical. He didn’t want to try to comfort her with her mother’s blood still wet on his hands so he took a minute to clean up first.

Her giggle was starting to roll into a cackle and her eyes looked lost in madness. The Joker momentarily regretted hurting her mother though the woman had certainly deserved it. He grabbed Harley’s shoulders and shook them but she didn’t react. He didn’t think slapping her was a good idea if he could find anything else that might pull her out of it. He grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her into a kiss, it took a few seconds of her fighting him in an effort to keep her laughing going but eventually she stopped and kissed him back. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her close to him, he could feel her body shaking under his hands. He broke the kiss and wrapped his arms around her, he heard her sobbing against his chest. Jack felt pretty awful that she was so upset. It was hard to know what to do about mothers, even the really terrible ones. Finally she settled down and he pulled back to look into her face. The redness around her eyes from crying made them look even more intensely blue than usual. Otherwise she was a splotchy mess and he chuckled at her. She smiled back at him, apparently back to her normal self.

“Are you ok, kid?” He wiped a last tear away from her cheek.

“Sure, I’m just swell, Mr. J. Sorry about the rainstorm. I’m ok now.” She patted her hair into place and straightened her dress, as though these small acts of righting her physical self could fix whatever emotional disarray she was in.

“You’re sure you aren’t sore at me? I can’t take it back but I can apologize if I went too far.” He didn’t really like apologizing much but he’d do it in this case.

“I’m not sore, really. You did the right thing. You always do the right thing. Thank you Mr. J.” She gave him a quick kiss.

“We should go, no reason to stick around now, is there?” Jack suggested.

“No, no reason at all.” She tucked her arm in the crook of his and he opened the door for her. As they walked out to their stolen car she looked up at him and asked, “We will find Jerry, right? I really think we need to.”

“Of course we will, doll. There’s no place on this earth that guy could go that would hide him from me. I’ll find him and he’ll get what’s coming to him.” He promised her.

“Oh goody, I think we’re gonna have an awful lot of fun with him.” She giggled and snuggled against his arm. Yeah, they were going to have a real good time with Jerry. The Joker laughed with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be away for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a corny tradition to talk about what you are thankful for at this time of year so I'll take the opportunity to say I am truly thankful for all the kudos and encouraging comments I've gotten during my brief time posting Joker and Harley stories. I will be back with the last chapters for my two incomplete stories and the beginning of a brand new Joker and Harley adventure soon!


	4. Chapter 4

After the encounter with her mother, Harley seemed restless and dissatisfied. The Joker assumed it was because of the unfinished business with her stepfather and he was doing his best to track the bastard down but he did still have a business to run. If it were up to him he’d focus on finding the guy so Harley could get her payback but if he didn’t kick up the usual amount to Chicago he’d have to deal with a lot of hassle he didn’t need so getting the hooch supply back up had to be his first priority. Since he was so busy at the moment he left Harley to find her own distractions and she found one. She had decided to learn to cook. Actually she had bought a book and decided to teach herself to cook. And she had recruited Rocco as her assistant. Seeing the big lug wearing an apron and handing Harley whatever tools or ingredients she needed had been the highlight of this experiment. Otherwise it was series of indigestible failures.

Jack had never been one to really care much about food. He ate when he had to and wasn’t real particular about what it was. Or that’s what he’d thought until Harley started serving up his meals. To say she couldn’t cook was putting it mildly. He’d say she was so bad a cook that she couldn’t even boil an egg but actually she was so effective at boiling eggs that you could bounce then off the wall when she was done with them. He couldn’t keep trying to choke down the terrible results of her cooking attempts so he called a service and had them send a cook over. He’d thought she’d be happy, or at least relieved. She’d started this effort to learn cooking and it had clearly been a disaster but hey, here was someone to take over the kitchen and let Harley go back to her life of leisure. Apparently he hadn’t really understood what was going on because as soon as he told Harley about the cook she’d run off in tears and hidden herself away in their bedroom. He really wanted to just ignore her tantrum but this looked like the beginning of their first fight so he figured he might as well face the music before the tune changed to something he didn’t know the steps to.

“Harley?” He called gently to the sobbing blond curled up in their bed. She didn’t reply but cried harder. Knowing her inability to resist his touch he climbed into the bed with her and pulled her into his arms.

“What’s with all the salt water? I only hired the cook to make things easier for you.” He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her face away from his. He stared at her in surprise.

“Sorry, the bank’s closed today, pal.” She declared with a huff. He had never been turned down for a kiss by Harley. He didn’t like it, not one bit. Rather than lose his temper with Harley’s irrational behavior he decided to go down to the warehouse and check in on tonight’s shipment. Maybe a little time on her own would get Harley back in the right frame of mind.

Down at the warehouse things were going smoothly, they’d managed to get supplies back up to the level they’d been before Gotham’s man in black had burned out a huge amount of their stock. Security was increased to a point where the Joker’s outfit was the tightest ship in town, no teetotaler arsonist was going to set a match to his profits again. Not and live through it anyway. When Jack was headed back out to his car he noticed the sounds of a scuffle nearby. Curious and wanting to make sure there wasn’t trouble headed near his whiskey he followed the sound and found himself outside Jimmy Dunn’s place. Dunn made and sold cheap rotgut. His coffin varnish was something only the truly desperate would drink so he mostly sold to skid row bums, riding on quantity over quality for Gotham’s least discerning customer.

As Jack stayed hidden in shadow he watched a large man dressed all in black drag someone out of Dunn’s place. He had his face covered with a black cowl, the only things left showing were his mouth and chin. This guy sure seemed to have a few loose screws. And an agenda apparently. Maybe daddy used to get drunk and wallop him, something sure made him hate liquor. As soon as he’d stowed the unconscious man a safe distance from the building the vigilante went back and wired capsules of something, dynamite or pyrotol, it was hard to tell from a distance. After he’d set up his explosives the man in black pulled something out of his bag and as he threw it up onto a neighboring building the Joker realized it was a grappling hook. It was all he could do to keep his fit of laughter silent as he watched the vigilante quickly scale up to the building’s roof. When Dunn’s building exploded Jack let his loud howls of laughter ring free into the night. Whoever this guy was, he was a lot of fun. The Joker couldn’t wait to catch him and make him pay but in the meantime he decided that a fun fella like this man in black was a worthy playmate. It was Jack’s turn to play, now that his opponent had disappeared into the night. All the rumors and gossip in the criminal circles was about how this guy never let anyone get hurt in any of his fires. Well tonight that was going to change.

The Joker walked over to the guy who he’d seen dragged out of Dunn’s a few minutes earlier. He looked like a goon, probably Dunn’s idea of security, so a cheap dumb goon. He was still breathing but not for long. A quick stab to the heart and this guy wasn’t getting back up; he was going places though. Jack dragged the dead goon back over to the burning remains of what had been Dunn’s place. He pushed the body as much into the building as he could before the flames grew too hot. It was enough that a fatality would be reported as being caused by the fire, he had no doubt of that. As far as the public was concerned Gotham’s vigilante had just killed his first man. Jack whistled a happy tune as he returned to his car and then back to his penthouse.

Once he was home he remembered why he had gone out in the first place. Harley was angry at him. He was in too good of a mood now to let it bother him, he was determined to find her and set things right between them. She was still laying on their bed though she had apparently worn herself out crying and was now asleep. He undressed and got in bed with her, instead of brushing him off again she wrapped her body around his and snuggled up close. He was pretty sure she was awake now.

“Still mad at me, doll?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. J. I wasn’t really mad at you. I was just upset that I couldn’t make cooking work out. I don’t understand, I just did what the instructions said but I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.” She said with a pout.

“You sure can’t, but it doesn’t matter. Who wants to know how to cook? Seems like a waste of time to me.” The way to his heart was definitely not through his stomach, Harley should know that by now.

“But I want to be useful and to take care of you. And I failed terribly.” Her voice started to sound strained with a new batch of tears.

“You got it all wrong, kid. I’m the one that’s supposed to take care of you. You just be the screwy doll you usually are, that’s all I want.” It was true. He didn’t want anything from her, he just wanted her.

“That’s sweet of you to say but I don’t want to just do nothing all the time. It doesn’t seem right.”

“Well how about if you learn something you’ve actually got a shot at being good at. You seem to have a natural aptitude for murder and mayhem. How about if I teach you some of the things I know how to do? I think you’d be pretty great at that.”

“Really, Daddy? You’d teach me how to be more like you?” She shot up out of his arms and looked down at him with an expression of disbelief.

“Sure I would. I think teaching you to hurt people is going to turn out to be less hazardous to my health than eating your cooking.” He said with a laugh. She stuck her tongue out at him but then threw her arms back around him.

"This is going to be wonderful, thank you, Mr. J!" They sealed their agreement with a kiss. Happily their first fight had been shorter than the time they spent making up afterwards.

He began teaching her his area of expertise and Harley had absorbed a wealth of information about how to torture, murder and maim within just a few days. She was still too small to put a lot of force into a blow but he taught her places to strike that would hurt even with her limited strength. He even pulled a few volunteers from his henchmen to let Harley practice. She might be weaker than him but he wasn’t stupid enough to let her practice on him, she was still deadly. She picked up knife techniques quickly and even became a decent shot though it wasn’t her strongest skill. With all this practice at fighting and other forms of brutality Harley created what would become one of the many violent games that they played together.

The Joker thought of this game as ‘the little lost lamb’ though they had never actually discussed what they were doing ahead of time or given it an official name. Harley had tagged along with him wherever he went right from the beginning of their relationship. Now she used that as an opportunity to cause mischief. Whenever he had a meeting with a speakeasy owner or a rival gang or anyone who had a lot of hoods around for security she’d pull this act. It began with her clinging to him like a child from the minute they got in the room with the other guys. Once it had been established that she was afraid to be without her Daddy for even a moment the trap was set. The Joker would go back to the head guy’s office to discuss whatever business there was and Harley would be left alone in a room with some of the other guy’s muscle. Usually it was one guy, sometimes two. It didn’t matter, she could handle herself.

As soon as Daddy was gone one of the hoods would inevitably decide to make his move on this little clinging vine left all on her own. That’s when she’d strike with a knee to the groin, a hard punch to the liver or even just a heel brought down on a guy’s instep with her strong dancer’s legs. Anything that would bring a guy to his knees almost instantly without leaving an obvious mark. When the Joker and the goon’s boss came back out they’d find Harley looking every bit the innocent bunny and some goon as far from her as possible with a look of terror on his face. It was always good for a laugh. If there were two goons left alone with her they usually came out to find one of them avoiding Harley and the other one laughing himself sick though sometimes they were both clearly in pain. It was funny how hard it was to believe that a doll like Harley could be as vicious and violent as she was, it gave her a definite advantage. She could get away with almost anything and no one would ever believe she’d laid one of her delicate hands on the hood complaining about her. Not that many of them did complain, who wanted the embarrassment of admitting that a tiny blond with big blue eyes had bested them? By following her natural instincts and doing what she did best Harley was actually helping him in unexpected ways. His reputation had always been that of a ruthless killer but he found that suddenly he was even more feared and respected. He hadn’t thought that was possible but then again he’d never thought he’d find anyone like Harley. What a deadly duo they had become, Gotham City got a little more dangerous every day they were together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harley finally gets her revenge so prepare yourself for some violence.

Soon enough he had managed to track Jerry down. The Joker didn’t lack for people to put on the task of finding Harley’s stepfather. When he told Harley the good news she was far less unsettled than she’d been when they went to confront her mother. She clearly was not conflicted about how to handle Jerry. In fact she quickly requested that when they found him, she be allowed to work him over at the garage, the out of the way location Jack used for his own hands-on interrogations. He was happy to oblige and took her out there a few days early so she could set up whatever tools and equipment she wanted to use. It was pretty simple really, mostly knives. He wasn’t sure what she wanted with some of the things she brought but he couldn’t wait to watch and see. It was clear she had more than once thought over what she would do to Jerry if she ever had him at her mercy.

When they drove upstate to get her stepfather and relocate him to his final destination he turned out to be living in another picturesque small town. So much for the perfect small town life that was supposed to make America great. Jack gained new respect for Gotham’s tendency to keep all its worst aspects front and center, where you couldn’t deny they existed. It was a desperate and crime ridden town and you knew it the minute you walked down its streets. No wonder no other place had ever felt so much like home to him. Happily on this drive Harley was confident and enthusiastic. They were of course in another stolen car and she chattered away at him the entire drive up. Nothing important was said, all the seriousness of the day was being saved for Jerry’s comeuppance.

They knew Jerry would be at his house, the Joker had men tailing him since his location had been discovered. Knowing that Harley needed this confrontation his men had been under orders to make sure this jerk was home when his girl came knocking. And so it was Jerry himself who opened the door. He was an average looking man of around fifty, nothing about him screamed child rapist but then that’s usually how these things went. He clearly hadn’t expected to ever see Harleen standing on the other side of his door. Oh the look on his face! Jack and Harley both burst into a round of giggling laughter at the sight. The fear on Jerry’s face intensified once Harley’s laugh swirled into the mad tones that Jack liked so well. It was clear the sound had the opposite effect on her stepfather.

“No, no, no. Please no. Please stop that sound. Please.” Jerry begged. This was going to be so much fun.

“Ok, I’ll stop but only if you invite us in. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Harley didn’t wait for Jerry to actually ask them in but pushed past him dragging Jack in behind her. The house was sparsely decorated but clean. Any art around the place was religious. It didn’t look like the type of home a man would live in alone.

“Now, Harleen, I know I have wronged you terribly but you should know I’m not that man anymore. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my lord and savior and he’s forgiven me all my sins.” Jerry explained to Harley before she was able to say anything else. She started up her mad giggle again. Jerry’s hands flew up to cover his ears. Her laugh really bothered the guy, Jack wondered if it was because it made him feel guilty or if it maybe had a different effect. Maybe reminded him of old feelings that he was trying to put behind him.

“Well that was really nice of Jesus. Of course it wasn’t Jesus you did things to so I’m not sure his forgiveness counts.” Harley replied with another giggle. Jack wandered over to the mantle to exam the photo displayed on it. Jerry was there in his Sunday best along with a middle aged woman, she wasn’t unattractive but she looked prim and judgmental. She was probably the guiding force behind Jerry’s new relationship with Jesus. What the Joker found most interesting about the picture was the little girl with long blond braids sitting in front of the couple in the photo.

“Look, Harley, Jerry seems to have a type.” He held the picture out for Harley to see. She looked over at it and then back at Jerry. Jack knew the look on her face, it could be best described as murderous glee. All the viciousness of a killer combined with a sort of unadulterated joy at the idea of what she was about to do to you.

“Now it isn’t anything like that. I’ve changed, Harleen. I don’t do things like that anymore. With the lord’s help I can resist any temptation and I promise you I’ve never laid a hand on that child.” Jerry held his hands up in front of him and protested his guilt with intense sincerity. Harley looked back over at the photo.

“No you won’t have touched her yet. She’s what? Six or Seven? She’s still got a few years left before you bother her. I was ten, is that when you’ll start in on her, Jerry?” Jack could see tears starting to form in her eyes but she quickly pushed her sadness away and returned to her previous state of anticipating violence.

“It doesn’t matter, none of that’s going to happen now. I think it’s time to head to the garage, Mr. J.”

“Sure thing, doll. Come on Jerry, you’re going on a little ride with us.” He pulled out his piece and gestured towards the door with it. It wasn’t his usual role to play the muscle to someone else these days but there was no question that this was Harley’s operation, he was just here to make sure it all went smoothly. Though he wouldn’t mind getting a few licks in if Harley would let him.

“Please, Harleen, if you could just let the lord into your heart a little I’m sure you’d find some forgiveness for me.” Jerry tried one more time to appeal to Harley but the Joker gave him a whack against his temple with the side of his gun and pushed him towards the door. Jerry reluctantly walked forward. When they got outside, Jack pushed the pistol into Jerry’s side and warned him not to do anything stupid. They made it to the car without incident and once Jerry was seated in the back, Jack pistol whipped him a second time but with enough force to knock him unconscious this time.

“Thanks, Mr. J.” Harley said as he closed up the back of the car where Jerry was slumped over. She threw herself into his arms and clung to him tightly for a moment. He looked down into her face and saw that she was holding up well, no tears in sight and even a smile for him. This was certainly going smoother than it had with her mother.

“Let’s go, baby. I can’t wait to see this show.”

The drive back to the garage was long and uneventful. If Jerry regained consciousness he didn’t let on about it. Harley spent most of the drive bouncing in her seat and acting generally impatient and excited. When they arrived they pulled Jerry out of the car and chained him up inside the building. He still hadn’t woken up, the Joker briefly wondered if he’d hit Jerry a little too hard earlier but just as Harley was laying out her props for tonight’s show her stepfather started coming to with a groan. Harley quickly spun around to look at her victim, she began to giggle. For the first time Jack wondered how much control she had of that crazed sound she made, because she sure was laying it on thick for Jerry. Of course the sound of her laughter seemed painful to the man so the Joker hoped she kept it up.

“Where am I? What….oh, Harleen. I see.” Jerry muttered as he became aware of his surroundings. He seemed to have accepted his fate and hung his head down in surrender. It was clear he had no idea what was really in store for him or he’d be fighting until he drew his last breath, nothing about his death would feel like a release from suffering. She was going to make each second hurt like an eternity in hell. Good for her, the little doll was certainly owed it.

“That’s right, Jerry. You’re here with me. I’ve got a lot planned for you. But first, I didn’t get to introduce my fella to you earlier. This is the Joker. He’s just wonderful, you wouldn’t believe the things he’s taught me, Jerry. Nothing like the things you taught me, his games are always fun and I’m the one who gets to do the hurting. I think he likes me an awful lot so that means he wasn’t too happy to hear about the things you did to me. It’s only fair if I let you get to know him a little before you and I play our last game.” She smiled over at Jack. His mouth curled up into an evil grin. Jerry was the only one not smiling.

How thoughtful of his baby to let him have a little time to really get to know her stepfather. He had a pretty good idea of the direction Harley’s play time was going to go in. Not the specifics but he knew all the tools she had chosen and the one thing really missing from the lineup was something that could deliver some blunt force trauma. Seeing an opportunity to fill the gap, the Joker pulled his crowbar off the wall of tools and headed in Jerry’s direction. He’d give the guy a few painful blows just to work out some of his anger but he’d have to work hard to keep control of himself, it wouldn’t do to spoil things for Harley.

“Jerry, Harley has told me so much about you. From the very first moment I heard about your very special relationship I couldn’t wait to meet you. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’re going to get to spend much time getting to know one another. Well as they say, them’s the breaks, Jerry.” The Joker finished his statement with a pair of hard strikes on either side of Jerry’s body, certainly breaking the delicate floating ribs under the skin he’d hit with the crowbar. Jerry cried out in pain. It was a lovely sound and Jack started laughing with delight. That seemed to catch Jerry’s attention and bring it away from his own pain. He stared at Jack with surprise clear in his face.

“Now what’s that look for, Jerry? Is it the laughing? You don’t seem fond of Harley’s laugh either. Personally I find it thrilling, I can’t get enough of it but it does seem to bother some people. I think most people don’t have much of a sense of humor, that’s what’s wrong with the world today. Not enough laughter. Harley and I are trying to change that, one victim at a time. We’re going to laugh for a real long time remembering all the fun we had with you today, Jerry.” The Joker slammed the crowbar into the man’s solar plexus and doubled over in laughter as Jerry hung from the wall gasping and struggling to breathe again.

“I think it’s your turn, doll. I’m starting to like hitting him too much, I’m afraid that if I don’t stop now I never will.” He said to Harley and she jumped up and down and began to clap her hands with excitement. She unexpectedly threw herself at him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Jack knew violence turned Harley on but he was fairly sure that this time would be an exception to that.

“Thank you for this, Mr. J! I could never have done this by myself but I would have wished I could have my whole life.” She said with sincerity when she pulled away from him. Without waiting for him to reply she skipped over to her little table of implements she wanted to use and picked up the first one.

“Ok, Jerry. It’s time for you and me to play a game. You remember that right? That’s what you told me, it was time to play a game. I’ve had a few years to think over what I’d do to you if I ever saw you again and I finally decided the best thing I could do was try to give you some idea about how your games made me feel. So we’re going to start with the first rule of the game. Maybe you already know it? The first rule is you have to be very quiet and not scream. And you must never tell anyone. That’s what you told me, isn’t it? That if I told anyone you’d sew my lips shut and I’d never be able to talk again?” She held up a long needle threaded with black catgut for sutures. “I don’t trust you to keep quiet, Jerry, so let’s just go ahead and sew that mouth of yours up.”

Jerry tried to turn his head away from her but the Joker stepped in and held him in a firm grip so he couldn’t move around. Harley smiled up at Jack and then turned her attention to Jerry’s mouth. She only made it a couple of stitches in before the giggling started. Still she managed to stay focused on the task at hand and the sutures were fairly neat and even considering how Jerry screamed and carried on. Soon enough his mouth was sewn up enough that his screams no longer drowned out Harley’s giggles and the two men listened to her with very different reactions. By the time she was done both she and the Joker had blood on their hands. A good beginning to any torture experience.

“Now that we know you aren’t going to say anything else, Jerry, I think it’s time to start our little game.”

Harley unfastened Jerry’s belt and trousers. She let his clothing fall around his ankles and left him naked from the waist down. The Joker was sure that whatever happened next wasn’t going to give him any comfortable feelings. He was occasionally made nervous by how much Harley liked damaging a bum’s manhood. Not that he blamed her, it just wasn’t pleasant to watch sometimes. Harley walked over to a table nearby that had a blowtorch on it. She used a match to light the flame and turned the fuel valve until it was going full throttle. Jerry’s eyes got big and Jack laughed at the sight. He really didn’t know what Harley’s plan for the blow torch was, she hadn’t let him in on that detail. He loved that this show was full of surprises and tiny bits of information about Harley’s past. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun watching someone else do the hands on stuff while he just assisted. Harley picked up a knife with a fixed blade that she had chosen from his collection. It wasn’t one of his favorites but it was sturdy with a long wide blade. She walked back to the blow torch and began heating the blade.

“I spent a long time thinking about just what that first time felt like, Jerry, and how best to let you experience that. I was so tiny, it felt like you were ripping me in half or maybe stabbing me with a hot knife. So I thought we’d try that out. See if you feel the same thing I felt. I think I’ll be able to tell by your eyes, if the pain looks right. Of course you won’t have to lay in your bed bleeding for hours after or go to school the next day with an ache between your legs that you couldn’t tell anyone about but we can’t have everything. Could you get his ankles Mr. J?” He did as he thought she’d want and chained Jerry’s ankles as far apart as he could get them while keeping the guy up on his feet.

“Perfect, thank you.” She gave him a grateful smile. Jack wasn’t sure he really wanted to watch what happened to Jerry next so he watched Harley’s face instead. She was focused but there was a distance in her eyes, like she was mostly here but partly back in that ten year old girl’s mind, experiencing all the pain and fear again. With her blade hot and red she came back over to Jerry.

“Now close your eyes. This is going to hurt at first but after a while you’ll start to like it. You’re going to want to play this game all the time. Isn’t that what you promised, Jerry? That part never did come true, I never wanted to play your games but they never let up. You’ll know what that’s like too, Jerry. This game is going to last the rest of your short miserable life.”

Her face grew fierce and she shoved her knife up between Jerry’s legs, approximating the area she would have felt him shoving into her as a child as much as she could with the differences in anatomy. Jerry couldn’t get as much volume with his lips sewn shut but the scream still rang out plenty loud, there was no doubt that the pain he felt was intense. Harley kept thrusting the knife in and out of him, the heat may have cauterized the wound at first but the new cuts were causing a lot of bleeding. His blood ran down her arm and dripped onto the cement floor. After Jerry’s cries became low desperate moans she stopped her stabbing but left the knife still firmly lodged in the center of his body. She picked up another knife and returned to her blowtorch. Jack felt fairly certain he knew what she was going to do with this one. He sighed and prepared himself.

“Now you sorta know what I felt like, Jerry. There’s just one more thing you did to me that I’d like to share with you. When you got me pregnant and took me to that butcher? Well after that the doctors told me I’d never have a baby. And that’s all your fault. So, even though you’re going to die soon, I’d like you to have just a few minutes to realize that you won’t be making any babies either.”

She took the sharp, hot knife and walked back to Jerry. The Joker kept his eyes on her face. It was so vicious and full of malice. He wished they were taking apart a stranger, it didn’t feel right to be turned on by her while she was taking out her rapist but his body couldn’t help but respond to the sight of his deadly doll slicing someone up. When she started laughing his desire intensified. She sliced up with her knife and her rage transformed to triumph as Jerry let out a cry that sounded like it would blow his throat open, it was so intense and pained. Jack knew she’d just sliced off the family jewels, he didn’t feel the need to look and see. She then raised the knife up in both hands and stabbed Jerry through the chest with it. He didn’t make another sound and his body went limp. He was probably still alive but bleeding out fast. Harley let go of the knife handle and looked at Jerry, as though she couldn’t really quite believe that her childhood monster was now really and truly unable to ever hurt her again. Finally she looked up at Jack and gave him a proud smile. He returned it, why not, he was proud of her.

“Are you ok, baby? Feeling alright about everything?” She didn’t look like she was in danger of breaking down but she had given him a bit of a fright after he’d hurt her mother.

“Ok? Oh I’m so much better than ok! I feel wonderful. Like I’m floating on a cloud. Like I could never be blue again in my life. Wasn’t that fun, Mr. J?” She asked him sweetly. He wanted to pull her into his arms but she was covered in a whole lot of blood. He led her over to the sink and started helping her wash the blood from her arms and hands.

“That was a whole lot of fun, baby. You sure know how to have a good time.”

“I feel like I’m dancing on air. Oh! Dancing, that’s what I want to do next! Can we go dancing, Mr. J?” She asked, bouncing a little with excitement.

“Of course we can, Harley. Let’s go home and throw on our glad rags and then hit the town. Our fun is just beginning.” They walked out of the garage arm in arm, leaving Harley’s past behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you for reading and taking another trip back to the 1920's with me. Let me know what you thought in the comments!


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